


love can be found in the most unlikely of places

by gemini_nan



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Multi, Slow Burn, changbin and jisung going from no homo to all of the homo basically, idiots to lovers, minsung is sort of a big part, rated teen and up for swearing and a few dirty jokes because they're teens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-18 21:34:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20198521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gemini_nan/pseuds/gemini_nan
Summary: Changbin and Jisung are childhood friends and that's what they always have been. They're not affectionate with each other, they don't do feelings and they're closed off.Changbin wants to change that.





	love can be found in the most unlikely of places

**Author's Note:**

> i have to admit that i'm quite the binsung supremacist so if you clicked on this, it means you have galaxy brain and we can be friends
> 
> hope you enjoy it ♡

> "Oh I fall in love when I see  
Your heart worn out on your sleeve  
When you are no longer afraid to leave" 
> 
> -Pekoe, Atlantica 

Changbin's and Jisung's friendship started just like many others. They sat together on their first day of elementary school, Jisung lent his coloring pencils to Changbin in class and Changbin shared his cookies with Jisung at lunch. 

Jisung was a loud child, while Changbin was more on the quiet side, though after a few weeks of sitting together and playing at recess, Jisung came to find just how equally loud Changbin could be. 

Their favorite game was of superheroes, which truthfully, brought them more fights on who was going to be the villain than actual playtime. 

Jisung slept over at Changbin's house almost every week, Changbin's mother was more than used to preparing bigger dinners every Friday. 

The weekly sleepovers were truly a dread to Changbin's sister, who suffered many pranks played by the boys. 

Jisung taught Changbin how to love cats and Changbin showed Jisung his favorite show, Pokémon. 

They were as close at it got and they became so used to each other that that one time Jisung went to Malaysia for the holidays became the worst two weeks of their entire 10 year old lives. 

And so, playing and fighting, they came to be 17 and they started their senior year in high-school.

Growing up together meant that Changbin and Jisung had many things in common. They had the same taste in music, the same sense of humor, the same favorite movies and the same group of friends. 

But of course, they were still so different. 

Jisung liked dressing in light colors like pink or yellow, while every item in Changbin's closet was black; Jisung was energetic and restless while Changbin liked to relax. 

And their biggest difference: Jisung was so fast paced while Changbin was slow. Maybe too slow. 

"Changbin, you woke me up half an hour ago, I was ready 20 minutes ago. HOW ARE YOU STILL GETTING DRESSED?" Jisung banged on his best friend's bedroom door, checking the time on his phone. _We're definitely going to be late again_, he sighed internally. Why did he agree to have a sleepover on a school night? 

"Beauty takes time, Jisung," finally, Changbin came out of the door, smiling shamelessly while Jisung rolled his eyes and raised a fist, as if to hit Changbin. 

"Not my fault you're in desperate need for more of it," now Changbin did actually hit Jisung, who wore a smug smile on his face. 

"Shut up, you're lucky I got my license to drive you places, asshole," Changbin ran downstairs with Jisung trailing after him, giggling. 

"Which I'm still impressed by, I didn't know you could reach the pedals."

"Two centimeters, Han Jisung. Don't get cocky over two centimeters."

Changbin got to the kitchen and threw an apple to the air that Jisung could barely catch and grabbing one for himself to then walk to the door. 

"We're leaving, mom," Changbin yelled as he and Jisung put on their shoes. 

"Aren't you running late?" Changbin's mother appeared from the living room. 

"Yep, Changbin is a snail," Jisung said, smiling to the lady teasingly. The woman let out a laugh which only made Changbin growl. 

"Yes, we get it, you like Jisung more than me. Bye, mom."

"I love you, son." 

As soon as they walked out, the light breeze from the summer rain hit them. 

They got into Changbin's car, meaning, Changbin's dad's old car, and Changbin immediately turned on the radio. 

A soft hip hop tune started playing. 

"Chan is moving in today," Jisung said absent-minded and he bit his apple, "he said he met up with his roommate yesterday, some dude named Woojin."

"Hope he's not a psychopath," Changbin answered, tapping his finger on the wheel to the beat of the song. 

"We both know Chan would be the psychopath in this situation," they laughed lightly, the rain getting louder, hitting the roof of the car. 

Chan's absence in the car was painfully obvious, mainly because it used to be him who previously drove the boys to school. Changbin and Jisung had met the boy in middle school, he was a year older than them and somehow, they became friends. 

Chan was the first person the pair let in so deeply into their friendship. Of course, through the years, they made many friends, both being sociable and friendly, but in the end, they always stuck to each other. Chan found his way in into their bubble and suddenly they were three. 

But of course, Chan had started college, working hard on his acting career with a full sports scholarship. The two younger boys would miss him, but their pride was much more than their grief. 

The mood created by the rain and the music was Jisung's favorite, Changbin knew that, so instead of talking his mouth off like he usually did, he turned up the music and let the sound vibrate through the car. 

It made the ride felt short. 

Changbin was parking when Jisung got a phone call. 

"Hi, yeah, we're in the parking lot. You don't have to, it's raining. Fine, but I hope you get sick," Changbin looked at Jisung with a raised eyebrow and a smirk when the boy hung up. 

"Let me guess, Minho using any chance he gets to run around in the rain."

"You'd be correct."

Just as expected, Minho met them as they got out of the car, dragging Jisung into a hug. 

"You saw me last week," Jisung giggled, hugging back. 

"A week too long without you," Minho winked at him to then approach Changbin and give him a quick hug. "Hi, Binnie." 

"Hi, can we please go inside now?" Changbin scrunched up his nose at the hug but the smile that followed betrayed his annoyance. 

As soon as they got into the building, Changbin was hit by another body, said body belonging to Hwang Hyunjin. 

"Ew, why are you all wet?" Hyunjin complained but didn't break the hug. 

"That's what she said," Jisung murmured, winning a slight chuckle from Minho. 

"Minho wanted an impromptu hugging session outside," Changbin answered, rising his arm to ruffle the taller boy's hair. 

"It was romantic," Minho said with a monotone voice. 

"Hey," another boy appeared at Jisung's side, quickly high-fiving him and Minho. "Seungmin and Jeongin aren't here yet. Which class are you in?" 

"Lix, hi!" Hyunjin greeted the newcomer. Felix only gestured a greeting, seeing that Hyunjin was still latched onto Changbin. "I'm with you and Seungmin."

"I was left alone with the power couple," Changbin whined while Jisung high-fived Minho. 

"You don't have to be jealous, Binnie, we'll both give you love and attention," Jisung joked. 

"Ew, I don't want your attention," Changbin stuck out his tongue, Jisung did the same. 

"I am convinced those two got stuck at age 7," Seungmin walked up to the group, Jeongin by his side, wearing a different colored tie as he was a year younger, his hair visibly wet. 

"Like you're one to talk," Jisung shot back. 

A bell interrupted whatever response Seungmin was ready to give and they all said goodbye in unison, splitting up to their respective classrooms. 

Once Changbin, Jisung and Minho got to theirs, Jisung and Minho sitting together while Changbin sat alone behind them, the rest of the day passed by a blur. 

Changbin wasn't paying attention to the teacher, after all, he was only introducing himself and his subject. Instead, he doodled random lines on his notebook without even looking, more focused on Jisung's hair in front of him. 

His eyes drifted down, noticing the subtle movement under the desk. Minho was reaching out for Jisung's hand, which the latter took, playing with Minho's ring, head pointed to the front.

Changbin resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Those two were always all over each other, and yet, he couldn't complain because he knew that if Hyunjin had been in his class, something not far from what they were doing would be going on with them, too. 

Suddenly, a weird feeling struck him. A realization. 

He had never held Jisung's hand. 

Maybe to cross the street when they were kids, maybe to help him get up as they played, but never for the sake of it. 

He ripped his eyes away from his friends. 

They were lucky when they found out that their lunch matched with Jeongin's, their youngest hadn't had the same luck the year prior. So they happily sat together, some eating actual food, some others (read Felix and Jisung) ate bread with a filling with definitely too much sugar. 

The conversation with the group flowed easily, sometimes, a smaller group would start their own conversation, sometimes they were all part of a way too loud debate. Changbin felt happy. 

When him and Jisung got to high school, their breaks didn't match with Chan's, but the older's addition to their friendship had opened a door that the pair of friends hadn't noticed was closed. Making friends, letting them in into their dynamics, becoming close, it all became so natural. 

And so, one by one, their group came to be. All of them so different and still matching so well. 

Changbin specially found a friend in Hyunjin, who understood him so much and was so interesting, Changbin couldn't resist getting closer to him. 

Jisung and Minho also became close as soon as they spoke to each other, both so unique and similar, they were like puzzle pieces coming together. 

Jisung and Minho. 

Changbin looked at them and once again got the weird feeling because once again, Minho's hand looked for Jisung's, and Jisung took it so naturally, not even acknowledging it, just letting it happen. 

"Changbin," Felix's deep voice brought him back to the conversation. Changbin looked away from Jisung and Minho to look at the freckled boy. 

"Yeah?" 

"I asked if you wanted some," Felix had his bread extended to him across Hyunjin, Changbin nodded and took a bite. 

He tried listening to the conversation, something about a movie they wanted to watch, but he couldn't focus, there was a question running around his head and he couldn't ignore it. 

_Why? _

The question changed as Hyunjin laid his head on Changbin's shoulder and Changbin accepted him so naturally. 

Why not him? 

The rest of the classes passed by quickly, his mind still in space, his eyes probably burning the back of Jisung's head in search for an answer. 

When their classes were over, Minho walked with him and Jisung to his car. 

"See you tomorrow," Minho said, hugging Jisung and then ruffling Changbin's hair. 

Why did Minho hug Jisung? They were going to see each other the next day, was it really necessary? 

"You've been quiet today, you usually never shut up," Jisung said smirking when Changbin started the engine. 

Changbin gave him a side look. "Tired, probably. You did keep me awake until 1 am."

"You were the one that suggested Pokémon games at midnight!" 

"Not true, can't remember," Changbin tried to hold back his smile, failing when Jisung repeated his sentence in a teasing voice. "Yah, do you want me to hit you?" 

"You can't, you're driving," Jisung stuck out his tongue at him with a victorious smile, Changbin stuck out his tongue back. Maybe Seungmin was right, maybe they were still 7 years old. 

Changbin stopped the car as they got to Jisung's house, Jisung turned to him smiling. "Say hi to your mom from me."

Changbin clicked his tongue, smiling back. "I'm starting to think you like my mom more than you like me."

"You'd be right. See you."

Jisung got out of the car, sending Changbin a peace sign. 

The familiarity Jisung had with his mom made Changbin had a second realization.

Maybe he wasn't as touchy-feely with Jisung because of how long they had known each other. 

Maturing and learning how to convey his emotions was something Changbin learnt as he grew. That's why he could be so affectionate with Hyunjin, with Felix, even with Seungmin, who was a little more reluctant to touch. Because they appeared in a time of his life where he was more open to it. 

He thought about holding Jisung's hand, about hugging him like he did to Hyunjin, and the feeling felt foreign, because his relationship with Jisung was based on how much they knew each other, not on how they felt about each other. 

But he wanted more. 

Changbin loved Jisung, as terribly embarrassing as it was. Jisung had been his only constant, his rock and part of his world for so long, of course he loved him. 

Changbin also knew Jisung loved touch, he was sentimental and loved being open about his feelings, yet he was closed off to Changbin in that way and that was probably Changbin's fault. 

He wanted to change that. 

He was going to change that. 

During the course of the next week, Changbin was a lot more focused, having come to a conclusion and trying to accept it, but he was still hyper aware of the way Jisung treated the rest of their friends. How naturally he touched Minho, how casually he hugged Felix, how often he would tell Hyunjin he loved him without much reason. 

Every day, Changbin saw Minho hugging Jisung goodbye. And every day, he tried to gather up the courage to do the same. But he couldn’t. His mind filled with questions and worries. Would Jisung accept the hug? Would he reject it? Would it be weird? Would their friendship change?

And then came Friday, and of course, Jisung was at his house. It was well over midnight and they got tired of playing video games, so they laid on Changbin’s bed, Jisung head by Changbin’s feet and Changbin’s head by Jisung’s feet. A slow rock song played softly from Jisung’s phone, the room was otherwise silent.

Changbin took a deep breath. “I had a dream about you,” he dared to say. It was just technically a lie, considering it was more day-dreaming than an actual dream, but saying it directly felt embarrassing.

Jisung scoffed teasingly. “How annoying.”

Changbin decided to follow up with the joke. “It was a nightmare.” Jisung made a sound of acknowledgment, making Changbin continue. “I gave you a gift and you liked it so much that you hugged me.”

Now Jisung chuckled. “Yah, how is that a nightmare?”

“It was really scary!” Changbin joked, but if Jisung noticed the wavering in his voice, he didn’t say anything.

He felt Jisung sit up, so he did, too. Now they were facing each other and Changbin felt even weirder. 

“No, wait, why don’t you even hug me? I’ve always wanted to ask you this,” Changbin felt his heart catch in his throat. How could he possibly explain to his best friend that he was scared because he didn’t want to change how perfect the friendship they had built over the years was? Jisung kept talking. “You’re always all over Hyunjin, you let Felix cling to you, you even hug Jeongin when he rejects you! Why not me?”

Why not him?, was exactly the question Changbin struggled so much answering. Why not Jisung? Why couldn’t he break through that door?

“I can start doing it if you want to,” Changbin’s words were barely loud enough to hear, he avoided Jisung’s eyes. 

Jisung smiled and playfully hit his leg. “I was just kidding, you don’t have to.”

But I want to, Changbin wanted to say. And he was going to say it, when the soft rock music was replaced by a louder hip hop tune. Both of them turned to Jisung’s phone to see Chan’s name on the screen.

Jisung picked up the call and turned on the speaker.

“Hi, Channie, you’re on speaker, Changbin is here,” Jisung said, eyes shiny. 

_“I figured you guys would be together,”_ Chan’s smile was heard clearly through the phone, Changbin couldn’t help but smile, too. “How’s the weekly sleepover going without me?”

“Well, there’s a lot less outdated EDM in the playlist for a change, so I would say it’s going great,” Changbin said, smirking, Jisung let out a loud laugh to which Changbin hit his leg, signaling for him to be quiet while also laughing. 

Chan’s laugh was also heard, though his laugh was a lot more whispered. “_I’m sorry for not calling you, guys, this week has been crazy. I only got the chance to now that Woojin is asleep.”_

“Tell us, is Woojin a psychopath?” Jisung asked, grinning, Changbin rolled his eyes.

“_Idiot_,” Chan giggled. “_He’s great, he loves music just as much as I do and we get along just fine.”_

“Wow, you’re replacing us already?” Changbin teased.

“He would never, I’m his favorite child, we text every day to make sure he doesn’t forget about me,” Jisung complained with a pout.

“Okay, what? You text Jisung but you don’t text me?” Changbin whisper-yelled, getting closer to the phone’s speaker. “Favoritism much?”

“_Yeah, I thought it was obvious,_” Chan teased. “_But actually, I text Jisung because he texts me first. He took the initiative so I just went with it.”_

The word initiative struck Changbin with what felt like the millionth realization that week.

Of course Jisung wouldn't be mad, of course it wouldn't be weird, or course it would change their friendship but maybe for the better.

Jisung just never did it because he knew Changbin too well, he never turned on that switch because he felt exactly how Changbin was feeling.

Changbin had to take the initiative.

Chan talked to them about his classes, professors, Woojin, the campus. Jisung and Changbin filled in Chan about their friends, plans and a way too long conversation on ice cream flavors.

Chan started yawning at 3 am. Both Jisung and Changbin laid side by side on the bed, the phone between their heads. They said their goodbyes, wished Chan luck and hung up.

Jisung's eyes immediately started closing, though the boy refused to and fought it. 

"Just go to sleep, dork," Changbin said, making Jisung scoff.

"You can't make me."

Changbin's heart started beating fast. He felt nervous and with good reason, because what he was about to do was something that could possibly change it all. 

Changbin rolled over to his side, making him get just a little closer to Jisung and with his hand almost trembling, he hugged Jisung's waist and dragged him closer. 

"I can try," Changbin said. Jisung stayed silent for a few seconds, Changbin was about to take his hand away and maybe jump out of the window when Jisung giggled. 

"Okay then," Jisung scooted even closer to Changbin, making it easier to hug him tighter. Changbin didn't want to speak, he didn't want to breathe, he didn't want to ruin the moment. 

Changbin avoided looking at Jisung, but after a few minutes his arm relaxed to hug him more naturally. Jisung's breathing evened out and only then Changbin could breathe properly. 

It was warm and Jisung's waist was tiny and Jisung was tiny, all curled up next to Changbin almost like a cat. 

Changbin loved his best friend. 

"Wanna come watch a movie with us?" Felix asked him and Minho on Monday, they hung out at Jisung's classroom until the bell rang. "This Friday."

"Only if Minho pays for me," Jisung said, smiling at Minho and fluttering his eyelashes. 

"I was only going to go if you paid for me, isn't that sad?" Minho answered, his face getting closer to Jisung's almost like a challenge. Jisung clicked his tongue. 

"Fine, I pay for you and you pay for me," Minho laughed. 

"Deal."

"I seriously don't understand you two," Felix admitted, shaking his head slowly. 

"No one does, I thought you'd be used to it by now," Changbin said entering the room and sitting on Jisung's desk. Jisung's heart stammered just a little. 

Ever since the hugging situation on Friday, Changbin hadn't mentioned it and Jisung didn't know what to make out of it. Did Changbin regret it so he ignored it? Did he want to pass it off as something normal? 

Needless to say, Jisung had also been avoiding talking about it. 

"We're gonna watch a movie on Friday, are you in?" Felix asked Changbin directly, he shrugged. 

"Sure, I can take some of you with me."

"Woah, he gets a license and he starts acting so mature," Minho pretended to whisper in Jisung's ear, actually talking loud enough for everyone to hear. 

"Not my fault you're literally incapable of driving," Changbin answered back. Jisung laughed. 

"He's right, you know?" Jisung said to Minho, who only rolled his eyes at him. 

The bell rang, Felix ran to his classroom and Changbin went to his seat. Jisung and Minho decided to play tic-tac-toe instead of paying attention to class. 

It was all good. 

Jisung's calmness dissipated once he was alone with Changbin in the car. Should he address the situation? Was Changbin going to? 

In between his thoughts, Jisung didn't realize they had gotten to his house, no words spoken in all of the way. 

"Well, see you tomorrow," Jisung smiled at Changbin and got out of the car. As he was taking out his keys, he felt someone stand behind him, he turned around to find Changbin, who was looking at the ground. "What-" 

Whatever question Jisung was planning on asking vanished when Changbin hugged him. It was quick and it stopped before Jisung even noticed what had happened. Before he could say anything, Changbin was walking away, head still down. 

_What?_

Jisung got to his room, his mind a mess and he dropped on the bed. 

Changbin picked him up the next morning. No mention of anything. Was Jisung going crazy? 

The closer to the last hour, the more nervous Jisung got. Would it happen again?

They got to Jisung's house, and this time, Changbin got out of the car at the same time as Jisung. Jisung's heart was beating fast, nervous, expecting. 

This time, the hug was just a little tighter and Changbin looked at him in the eyes as he parted away with a smile. 

**_What?_**

On Wednesday, neither of them talked about it. But Jisung started being really aware of Changbin. And so he noticed how often he caught the boy staring at him, following his movements just like how Jisung was following his. He noticed the way Changbin furrowed his eyebrows whenever Minho hugged him or held his hand. 

_That can't be_… 

And on Wednesday, the same thing happened. A hug, a smile and a goodbye. 

Jisung was both expecting and dreading Thursday. 

It was raining when they got to Jisung's house. Changbin hugged him and for some reason, Jisung felt the need to hug him back, so he did. Changbin froze but slowly relaxed into the hug. When he pulled away, he was smiling and his ears were red. 

"See you tomorrow, Jisung."

Jisung instantly messaged Chan. 

_please call me when you can_. 

Said call came until 8 pm, after Jisung had tossed and turned on his bed, questions without answers floating in his mind. 

"_Sungie, what's up_?" Chan asked. Jisung sighed, trying to gather up his thoughts. 

"Chan… I think… Changbin likes me?" 

"_Changbin? Tiny, cute and slightly above average emo Changbin? Our Changbin?_" 

"Yes, Chan," Jisung answered, just a little exasperated. "Our Changbin."

_"Hmm, what makes you think that?" _

"He's been acting really weird lately…"

"_Jisung, we're talking about the guy that screamed for 5 minutes straight when he dropped his birthday cake, define weird."_

Jisung sighed. "He… When you hung up on Friday, he… hugged me to sleep. And he keeps hugging me every day after he drops me off!" 

There was silence on the other side of the line. "_Jisung, sweetie, it's a hug. You hug everyone all the time, Changbin hugs everyone all the time. Just because you guys have a 'no homo' type of friendship doesn't mean that you can't hug."_

Jisung groaned. Of course he thought about that, but it didn't make sense. Why would Changbin so suddenly change the relationship they'd had for over 10 years now? 

"It's not just that! I catch him staring at me all the time and frowning whenever I'm with Minho!" 

_"If you catch him staring at you all the time, it means you stare at him all the time, Jisung_," Chan deadpanned. "_You're probably just overthinking, and even if you were right… Would it really be that bad if Changbin liked you?" _

"What?" 

_"Shit, Woojin got home, I'm supposed to go out with him. Just think about it, Jisung. Talk to him if you have to. Bye, love you."_

Silence. 

Jisung threw himself at the bed and buried his face in his pillow. 

Of course it would be bad if Changbin liked him! They were just friends, they had always been just friends. 

Jisung had to talk to him about it. 

"Minho," Jisung pouted. "Jeongin said it was really scary, if you don't go, who will I be scared with?" 

"Felix?" 

"No, Felix already has Hyunjin."

"Then just be a big boy and handle it," Minho smirked as Jisung clinged to his arm. 

"Why can't you go anyways?" Hyunjin asked, sitting in Changbin's desk behind them, since their classroom had become the spot to hang out before class. 

"My dance teacher scheduled a sudden class to change my solo."

"Then I won't go either," Jisung crossed his arms and pouted even more. Minho touched his lips with his hand. 

"Shut up, you big baby, just enjoy the movie."

That's how they ended up going to the cinema without Minho and Jisung was genuinely freaking out. 

Jisung hated horror. Loud sounds, dark ambiances, ghosts. He hated all of them. At least with Minho, he could hide in his friend's arms. 

But in the end, he was sat next to Changbin. Of course it had to be Changbin. 

The movie started calmly. A family moves to a house that people say it's haunted, nothing new. Around 30 minutes in, the first jump scare happened and Jisung was ready to cry, but he didn't move, instead, he grabbed the sides of the seat tightly. 

He looked at Changbin, he seemed calm, Changbin actually liked horror quite a lot. His face was relaxed, his posture, too. 

Jisung was going to start overthinking again when a second jumpscare happened. 

He flinched and curled up in his seat, trying not to look at the screen. He could faintly recognize Felix's and Hyunjin's screams between all of the screams in the room, along with Jeongin's and Seungmin's devilish laughs. 

Around one hour into the movie, things started getting way too scary for Jisung's comfort. It was when the actual demon appeared on screen when Jisung yelled, grabbing the armrest once again, but this time, he felt someone else's hand there, he turned to look at saw Changbin's arm resting there, he quickly pulled his hand back from Changbin's and looked up. 

Changbin was staring at him, eyebrows furrowed. Had he noticed just how genuinely scared Jisung was? 

Jisung's question was answered by Changbin turning his hand upwards and extending it to Jisung, looking away from him. 

Jisung stared at his hand almost incredulous. If Changbin actually liked him wouldn't holding his hand make things worse? Yet again, it was the first time Changbin had ever done that and Jisung was too scared to think logically. 

He held Changbin's hand. 

Just at that moment, the demon appeared, making the lead woman and the whole theater scream. Jisung held Changbin's hand ever tighter and not even thinking about it, he his his face on Changbin's neck like he would do with Minho. 

Jisung only realized what he did when the room went quiet again. He slowly pulled away from Changbin's body and he was also about to take his hand away when Changbin stood up and dragged Jisung with him. 

Changbin's hand didn't leave his until they were outside. 

It was actually Jisung who let go of Changbin's hand, it felt awkward with the room completely lit up. 

"What are you doing?" Jisung asked, looking at the floor. His face felt hot. 

"Sorry, it's just… you were shaking a lot," Changbin answered, fiddling with his fingers. 

"Oh. You didn't have to, I could have handled-" 

"Jisung, you almost fainted the one time we went to a haunted house game," Changbin interrupted, making Jisung look up, he was smiling softly. "I know when you can handle something and this time it just wasn't it."

"Changbin, do you like me?" The words left his mouth before he realized. Changbin's face was terrified, his eyes open wide and his body completely frozen up. Jisung panicked. "Nevermind, I said nothing! We should go back-" 

Jisung started walking back but he felt Changbin grabbing his wrist. Jisung stifled a sigh. 

"Stop. What do you mean?"

"I said it was nothing-" 

"Jisung."

Jisung finally turned around but still didn't look directly at the shorter. "It's just… you've been acting weird lately."

Changbin started laughing, Jisung looked at him with a frown. 

"I know I have. I know I should've probably said something but… No, Jisung, I don't like you. I just want to be closer to you."

"We're already pretty close, though," Jisung said, confused. 

"We're close in the sense that I've seen you eat actual dirt and you've seen me slip and fall down a whole set of stairs," Changbin answered, smiling almost teasingly. "We're close because we've been next to each other for 10 fucking years."

"Then what…?" 

"When was the last time I hugged you, Jisung?" Changbin asked. Jisung couldn't even give an answer. "When was the last time I told you how much I appreciate your friendship? Yeah, never."

Jisung hadn't even realized Changbin's hand was still holding his wrist until the boy squeezed it. 

"The way we act with our other friends and the way we act with each other is so different and I don't like it," Changbin's smile turned bitter. "I… I want to change it. Would you… help me change it?" 

Every engine in Jisung's brain started turning. Suddenly the way Changbin looked at him and Minho made sense, the tentative hugs and hand holding. It all made sense. Jisung started laughing and after a second or two of confusion, Changbin followed. 

"I can't believe you thought I liked you, wow."

"Look! You were acting so strange," Jisung ran his hand through his hair and finally stopped laughing, but a smile stuck to his face. "But… I would like to change it, too. Because I guess I kind of really appreciate you, too."

Changbin scrunched up his nose. "I take it back, I don't want it anymore." 

Jisung rolled his eyes, still smiling and pulled Changbin into a hug. "Shut up, you jerk."

Instead of going back to the movie, they went to the coffee shop down the street. 

"It was a bad movie anyway," Changbin had said. Jisung didn't quite believe him, but he let it slide. 

Needless to say, the transition from being best bros to affectionate friends wasn't an easy one. 

One week went by and no more than the goodbye hugs happened, though now Jisung reciprocated them. 

If their friends noticed any changes, they didn't mention it. But Minho did make sure to let them sit together at every chance, smiling teasingly. Jisung had probably told him about the situation. 

As closer as they got to Friday, Changbin got more and more nervous. But this time it was different, this time he was excited. 

Jisung acted pretty casually, so Changbin did, too. They got to Changbin's house, talked to Changbin's mom and sister for a while and then went upstairs to Changbin's room to play games. 

"We're both terrible at this," Changbin laughed as both him and Jisung were fighting for that last place in Mario Kart. 

"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm killing it," Jisung answered, voice clearly angry. 

"You're literally killing yourself," Changbin said, and as if he had seen the future, Jisung fell from the track again, dying. He threw the controller onto Changbin's bed and then himself. 

"I quit."

"This game? Games in general?" 

"Life, I quit life," Jisung cried out, Changbin laughed, setting down his own controller and throwing himself on the bed next to Jisung, making his friend shake and whine. 

"Don't be such a drama queen."

"Like you're one to talk," Jisung smiled. 

The hour was 9 pm, Changbin's house was starting to get quieter, his family not quite asleep, more just settling down to relax. 

"Should we call Chan?" Changbin asked. 

"Sure."

Jisung texted Chan to see if he was available and ten minutes later, Chan's voice was heard through the phone. 

_"Hi! So what's new? Is it true that you like Jisung, Binnie?"_ Chan's voice was clearly teasing, but Changbin's face still went red. He looked at Jisung, who wasn't doing any better. 

"Shut up!" Jisung exclaimed. "It was a misunderstanding and you know that."

"_Whatever helps you sleep at night, baby. But remember what I said."_

Jisung rolled his eyes, Changbin raised an eyebrow at him but he just shook his head, he seemed serious about it, so Changbin didn't pry. 

"Hey, has Woojin found out you're a vampire?" Changbin asked instead, making both Jisung and Chan laugh. 

"_Yeah, apparently it's not normal to do laundry at 3 am."_

Chan had to leave after a few hours, but he took every chance he got to remind them about their mistake. 

"_Good luck with your crush, Bin. Hope you fall in love soon, Sungie,_" he almost sang through the phone to hang up before any of them could answer. 

Jisung sighed and then started laughing, Changbin followed. 

"He's so dumb," Jisung said, his tone almost endearing. 

"I guess we're truly meant to be, huh?" 

Jisung huffed out a laugh. 

The lights were off, and without the dim light of the phone in call, Changbin could barely make out Jisung's features. Now the house was quiet and the only sound in the room was Changbin's heavy breathing accompanied by Jisung's lighter one. 

Hesitantly, almost shyly, Changbin extended his hand to Jisung, bumping it slightly with Jisung's own. Changbin couldn't see it well, but he could tell Jisung was smiling as he completely grabbed ahold of Changbin's hand. 

Jisung also got closer, so now they were laying side to side, only their hands in between them. 

"Have you ever felt moved by me, Jisung?" Changbin whispered, feeling brave enough to draw circles with his thumb on Jisung's hand. 

"What kind of question is that?" Jisung asked, his tone slightly teasing, but his voice light and low. 

"Don't make me regret asking it," Changbin pouted, making Jisung giggle softly. "I just want to know if I've been a good friend."

Silence filled the room, Changbin stopped his thumb and held his breath. Jisung's words came a few seconds later. 

"You probably don't remember this, why would you?" His friend started, voice low and even a little raspy. "But I was so anxious to start middle school, the worst part is that you were no better than me. But still, the night before our first day we were allowed to sleep together, and you noticed how nervous I was. You said something to me, do you remember?" 

Of course Changbin remembered. He was also freaking out, but as he saw Jisung, restless, nervous and on the verge of tears, all his anxieties washed away and a sudden wave of confidence filled him. 

A knot formed on Changbin's throat, so instead of answering, he hummed in agreement. 

"You said that I didn't have to be nervous, because I had you, and as long as we had each other, nothing could be bad," Jisung also sounded a little choked up, Changbin tightened his grip around his hand. "I didn't tell you back then because I didn't know how to, I also didn't know how you would react. But I'll say it now." Jisung rolled around to face Changbin directly, even in the dark, the shine in his eyes was there. "You were right. With you nothing has ever been bad. You're so important to me and I want you in my life forever, Changbin."

Changbin felt a single tear roll down his face as he got closer to Jisung to hug him.

"I guess you're not too bad," Changbin joked, but it sounded weak. Jisung still laughed. "You also said something to me that night, didn't you?" 

"I did?" 

Changbin smiled. "You said that as long as you were with me, I'd never have to be lonely. I guess you were right about that, too. And I can't believe I'm saying this but… I love you, Jisung."

Jisung laughed and hid his face in Changbin's chest. "I can't believe we became this embarrassing. This is your fault."

"Don't pretend you don't love it, jerk."

"I love you, too," Jisung said quickly, suddenly. He then hid his face even further and hugged Changbin's waist even tighter. "Now shut up and sleep."

Changbin tried to answer with something sarcastic or funny, but any words got caught in his throat when he realized his heart was beating fast. It wasn't the nervous or excited fast that he knew, it was different, warmer. 

Changbin never believed in the term "butterflies in your belly" but when Jisung snuggled his head on Changbin's chest, he felt a thousand, maybe a million butterflies dance through his whole body. 

He was absolutely and undoubtedly fucked. 

He tried to act normal the rest of the morning, and only when Jisung left on the afternoon, Changbin could process what was happening. 

No, he couldn't like Jisung. That was crazy, it was stupid and it didn't make sense. 

Why would he like Jisung when the boy constantly bickered with him and played pranks on him? Why would he like Jisung when he met him when he got dirt all over himself after every playtime? Why would he like Jisung when the boy meant the whole world to him? 

_Shit_.

He immediately called Chan. 

_"Hi, what's-" _

"If you say anything to Jisung I will personally scoop your eyes out," Changbin hissed at the phone. 

_"Yes, I'm having a good day, how about you?"_ Chan said after a few seconds, voice falsely sweet. 

"Chan, I think I like Jisung." Changbin got chills, saying it out loud made it real and he didn't know how to feel about it. 

_"Oh. OH_."

"Please just tell me to get over it and go back to normal," Changbin whined. 

_"Why are you both so against liking each other?"_ Chan sighed. 

"What?" 

"_When Jisung told me he thought you liked him, he was also scared. But I don't see the problem. You guys have been acting more affectionate with each other, I think it's not a bad escalation of things."_

"Chan, Han Jisung has been my best friend for 11 years," Changbin started. "And he was clearly distressed by just thinking I liked him. This will probably ruin our friendship and I can't possibly deal with that."

_"I think you're underestimating Jisung here,"_ Chan clicked his tongue. "_Of course he was scared, because Jisung gets scared of people liking him in general. But you mean as much to him as he means to you, whether he likes you back or not, he will never leave you."_

"So what do I do, Chan? Do I tell him? Ignore it?" 

_"Or make him fall for you_." 

"I could literally hear you wink over the phone and I hate you," Changbin deadpanned to immediately hang up. 

He got a text not even 10 seconds later. 

**_chan_**: _you coward_

Changbin screamed into his pillow for no less than 20 minutes. 

The relationship Jisung had with with Minho was weird, he was aware. 

For the longest time, Jisung thought Minho was in love with him, also making Jisung think he had a thing for Minho. 

After a few months of debating and a really long talk between them, they decided they worked better as friends, neither of them knowing how to commit to a relationship, especially with each other. 

That agreement didn't mean they stopped acting affectionate with each other. 

And lately, it became almost a challenge. Who could push their boundaries the most? Who could make the other more flustered? Who would give in first? 

Jisung shivered unwillingly as Minho gripped his thigh under the table. Jisung glared at him, but the boy only smirked, his hand not leaving Jisung's leg. 

They were sitting at the cafeteria table, mostly ignoring the group's conversation to focus on their own. 

Jisung sighed at Minho running his hand up and down slowly. 

Jisung abruptly got his face really close to Minho's, their noses almost touching. The sudden movement made their friends turn their attention to them, but Jisung was too focused on glaring at Minho. 

"Would you stop?" Jisung asked through gritted teeth. 

"No," Minho answered without flinching. Jisung got just a little closer, pressing his nose to Minho's. 

"Stop," Jisung said again, but Minho's hand didn't move, instead, Minho tilted his head and leaned closer to Jisung's lips. Jisung turned his head as soon as he noticed. 

Minho laughed as the rest of their friends stared at them in awe and confusion. 

Jisung hit his friend's arm, frown on his face. Minho hit him back but with satisfaction in his features.

"Loser," Minho said making Jisung roll his eyes. 

"You won the fight but you haven't won the war."

"What is going on?" Hyunjin asked loudly, voicing what everyone else thought. "Are you two actually dating or what?" 

Jisung finally turned to look at his friends, then back at Minho, making both of the boys involved laugh. 

"Ew, no," Jisung said scrunching up his nose. 

"Are you jealous, Jinnie? Do you want a kiss, too?" Minho did kissy faces at Hyunjin, who just looked disgusted, making the rest of the group laugh. 

"You two are gonna end up together, I bet," Felix said. 

"I'll take you up on that bet," Jeongin replied, smiling mischievously. 

"I bet otherwise. They won't end up together," Seungmin said, crossing his arms and resting on his chair. 

"No, I think they will at least hook up," Hyunjin added. 

"Ew, Hyunjin!" Jisung exclaimed, making said boy laugh. "Why are you even betting about us?" 

"Because we're all tired of you, mostly," Seungmin answered, grinning. 

"Glad to know we're good entertainment, right, babe?" Minho said, turning to look at Jisung who just sighed. 

"You all suck."

"Changbin hasn't voted," Jeongin mentioned. Only then, Jisung turned to look at Changbin, who was staring directly at Jisung with a neutral expression. 

For some reason, whatever he said would mean more to Jisung than everyone else combined. Changbin knew Jisung like the palm of his hand, which meant he would know better about Jisung's feelings. 

Changbin looked away from Jisung to look at Jeongin. 

"I'm with Hyunjin in this one," he finally said, Hyunjin yelled in excitement, high-fiving Changbin across the table. 

"That's gross," Jisung whined.

"You're gross," Minho answered, hitting Jisung's head softly. 

Their bet was quickly forgotten as they moved on from the subject. 

On Friday, instead of a sleepover, Changbin and Jisung decided to do something else after school.

They settled on going to a park, more like, Jisung bashfully admitted the reason he wanted to go to a park with Changbin. 

"I liked talking to you seriously, I want to do it more…" 

"You're so lame," Changbin had said, but he was smiling and blushing just as much as Jisung. 

They decided to change out of their uniforms in school to not waste time going back to Changbin's house, but just as Jisung's luck was, he had forgotten a shirt. 

"Wait, I think Minho brought a hoodie today," Jisung remembered. For some reason, Changbin looked uncomfortable, but he nodded and signaled for Jisung to go get it. 

Jisung barely caught Minho as he and Hyunjin left the school. He hurriedly explained he needed the hoodie and Minho, though very much making fun of Jisung, gave it to him. 

Jisung got back to the changing rooms were Changbin was and quickly put it on. As it was expected, the hoodie was oversized on him, but he preferred it that way. 

"You look like a child," Changbin mentioned once they were both changed. 

"You knew me as a child and I definitely didn't look as cute then as I do now," Jisung said, scrunching his nose. 

Changbin barked out a laugh. "I beg to differ. The bowl cut? The square, thick glasses? It was your prime time, Han."

Jisung threw a shoe at him. 

Changbin drove them to the park, the weather was chilly enough for Jisung not to die of heat thanks to the steady rain that happened all morning. 

They started walking around, the park was more like a tiny forest, full of trees and roads and little lakes. It was quite beautiful, though still weird. They weren't used to the silence or to not be able to just play a game to cut out the boredom. 

They decided to eat in a little food truck at the entrance of the park, also buying coffee to drink as they walked. 

The silence was not as awkward as expected considering how comfortable Jisung was with doing nothing around Changbin, but it was expectant, both waiting for someone to break it. Finally, Jisung spoke. 

"I can't believe you bet I would hook up with Minho." 

Changbin laughed, shaking his head. "You can't blame me, or any of us for that matter."

"I can! It's gross."

"You literally almost kiss the other day, you're always all over each other, now even the hoodie," Changbin said looking at the ground, his iced americano dripping onto his hand. "Do you actually like him?" 

Changbin looked up at Jisung, it somehow felt Incriminating, Jisung wanted to look away but he didn't. 

"I don't. And in that case, what about you and Hyunjin?" 

"Me and Hyunjin?" 

"You're always all over each other, you're always pretending to kiss, you buy things for each other. Do you actually like him?" Maybe Jisung sounded more defensive than necessary, but he didn't know why or how to stop. 

"I don't."

They walked in silence for a few minutes, both lost in thought, drinking their coffee. But Jisung felt the need to talk. 

"Actually, Minho and I did consider dating for a while, like a year ago," Changbin didn't look at him but he nodded. "But we realized that our feelings weren't romantic. But you know Minho and you know me, that doesn't stop us from pretending."

Changbin chuckled, for some reason Jisung expected to get backlash or a mean remark, but that never came, instead, it was a joking tone, but lighter than Jisung was expecting. "Does that pretending involve kissing? Because that looked pretty convincing."

Jisung laughed and hit Changbin's arm playfully. "No. We've never kissed. Well, in fact, I've never kissed anyone," Jisung admitted. 

"Oh," Changbin said, looking up at Jisung and then away again. "Me neither." 

"Really? Not Hyunjin? Not even Felix? I'm sure he would love that," Jisung teased, making Changbin roll his eyes. 

"Nope, no one. I'm surprised you're a kiss virgin, I could've sworn you and Chan had regular make out sessions back then."

"Ew, I'm gonna tell Chan you said that and he's gonna come over to beat you up," Jisung said with a funny voice making Changbin laugh. 

They dropped the conversation, instead talking about various things like school or their families.

Around 1 hour later, they got tired of walking around, preferring to sit at a bench in front of one of the mini lakes. 

The place was completely empty, perhaps because of the looming gray cloud that threatened to loose hell very soon. 

The silence was nice and because it felt almost as intimate and alone as being in Changbin's room, Jisung felt confident as he took Changbin's hand, which was resting between them on the bench, in his. 

Changbin looked at him in surprise, neither of them quite used to random acts of affection yet, but he smiled nonetheless. 

"It's funny," Changbin mentioned, catching Jisung's attention. "How much we know about each other without even saying it. I don't think we've ever talked about sexuality but we still know each other's preferences. Isn't that weird?" 

Jisung hummed, running the idea through his head to then nod. "It's probably because we talked about crushes so casually, I guess we didn't fear being judged by the other."

"That's nice. But… I'm glad we're talking now. We spend our whole lives together and we didn't even know if the other had ever kissed anyone."

"Yeah, I'm glad, too," Jisung said, smiling. "I would've told you if I had kissed someone, though."

"But you haven't," Changbin answered, raising an eyebrow at Jisung to tease him. Jisung squeezed his hand hard. 

"Neither have you, you don't get to make fun of me."

Changbin smiled and then looked away. Silence stroke again but Jisung knew Changbin wanted to say something, as he looked so deep in thought. 

"We could…" Changbin finally started, but he didn't continue. 

"We could what?" 

Changbin took a deep breath. "We could kiss."

His words were almost a whisper, made for no one to hear. But Jisung heard them and his heart stopped. 

"What…" 

"Nevermind," Changbin interrupted him with a nervous laugh, taking his hand from Jisung's. "I just thought it made sense because we've known each other for so long and we were talking about it, but it's dumb, just ignore it-" 

"I'll do it," Jisung didn't realize the words left his mouth until he said them. Changbin turned to look at him in a panic that Jisung was sure mirrored his own. 

"You don't have to…"

"You're right, it makes sense," Jisung said and deep down, he knew it was right. He knew it made sense and an even smaller part of him wanted to do it. But he didn't want to say it, he didn't know what was making him say it. 

Changbin turned his body to completely face Jisung after a few seconds of what looked like an internal fight, much like what Jisung was having. 

"Are you sure?" Changbin asked as he got closer to Jisung. Jisung's heart was beating scarily fast and his whole body felt like it was made out of jelly, but he still nodded, allowing Changbin to go even closer to his face. 

Jisung eyes were wide open, but when Changbin's nose was touching his cheek, he felt his eyes close slowly, almost like a reflex. 

He could feel Changbin's breath against his lips and an unknown force made Jisung close the tiny distance that was still between them.

It was clear that neither of them knew what they were doing, because when their lips touched they both froze in place. 

They stayed like that, unmoving for barely seconds until Changbin pulled away, but as soon as he did, the same force as before made Jisung lean in again. 

This time, Jisung made sure to make a kissing motion and Changbin followed perhaps a little sloppily. 

Jisung pulled away, he felt his face being completely red and warm and once he opened his eyes, he saw Changbin's equally blushed face, maybe still too close to Jisung's. 

They stared at each other for a fraction of a second, both breathless. Jisung was probably shaking. 

Trying to break the tension, Jisung looked away and giggled, making Changbin snap out of his head, too. 

Soon, they were both laughing, and even though it was obvious they were both nervous laughs, neither of them said anything about it. 

"Well, at least now we can say we did it," Jisung joked, not yet daring to look into Changbin's eyes. 

"We can cross that out of the teen checklist," Changbin said with the same tone. 

Before either of them could add anything else, a drop of water fell on Jisung nose, followed by a second one and third one. Then the lake was making waves with dozens of little droplets hitting the surface. 

"Let's go," was all Changbin said before standing up and running, Jisung trailing just behind him. 

They made it onto the car just as the rain was getting harsher. Jisung ran a hand through his fairly wet hair and giggled, still nervous and jittery, his breathing not quite even yet. 

Changbin started the car without another word and once he started driving it was still filled with silence, even turning on music felt weird, so they just sat there with only the rain relieving the burning silence inside. 

They got to Jisung's house fairly quickly, the rain just getting more aggressive. 

Jisung turned to smile at Changbin. "Thanks for… today. See you later."

Changbin smiled slightly at him before he got out of the car. He ran to his door and got in as fast as he could, not even turning back. 

He called out he was home and ran to his room to avoid any questions. 

He locked the door and threw himself on the bed. 

He lied down, staring at the fluorescent stars on his ceiling, stars he had put there with Changbin many years ago. 

Jisung whined, covering his face with his hands, because for some reason and completely against his will, his lips were tingling. 

His head replayed the feeling of Changbin's lips against his again and again and he wanted to feel it more, he felt like it wasn't enough, like he needed to feel it one more time and maybe a few more after that. He felt like he was going crazy because Seo Changbin was his friend and it was a platonic kiss and his lips wouldn't stop fucking tingling. 

Angrily, he took out his phone and sent a text. 

_meet me tomorrow at the café next to school, 10 am and if you don't show up i will probably die_

Jisung grabbed his headphones and played the most aggressive songs he could find at the loudest volume he could handle to try to drown out the thoughts, thoughts of Changbin's lips and his eyes and his blushed face. The feeling of his hand and his arm around Jisung's waist and his breathing against Jisung's lips. To try to drown out the tingling and the sound of his heart hitting against his chest. 

It didn't work. 

"To me, my cute friend, sounds like you like him," Minho said, sipping his grossly sweet drink with a sly smile on his face making Jisung groan. 

"I don't know why I even told you to come, you're useless."

"Seriously, Jisung? You kissed him and now you're saying you can't stop thinking about it and the tingling feeling, that's some romcom shit and you know it," Minho retorted. "Which, by the way, you kissed him before you kissed me and I'm very offended."

"Shut up," Jisung whined, hiding his face in his arms over the table. He felt Minho's hand caress the back of his head. 

"It's not a bad thing if you like him, Ji."

"But it is," Jisung raised his head, hoping his expression showed how he was truly feeling. "He clearly doesn't like me, he made sure to clarify that when I asked because I'm stupid and I panicked when I thought he could like me and now I would give anything to make him like me and I'm stupid."

Minho smiled slightly, putting his hand over Jisung's. "Have you considered that he was lying because he saw you panicked? He did suggest the kiss after all."

Jisung looked at Minho in disbelief to then crash his head against the table a second time. "I'm going crazy."

"You should tell him," before Jisung could complain, Minho shoved a cookie in his mouth, making him frown. "Best case, he does like you back. Worst case, you two end up as friends just like we did."

"You don't know that," Jisung said, muffled by the cookie but understandable enough. 

"But I do, because it's you and Changbin and you've been by each other's side for almost your whole lives and he wouldn't let you go, I don't think he knows how to." 

Jisung sighed once again, not answering, Minho's words running through his head. 

"I still want my kiss, though," Jisung looked up to find Minho close to him, lips puckered up and eyelashes fluttering, all complimented by a foam moustache.

Finally, Jisung laughed, hitting Minho's lips with the palm of his hand. 

"Gross."

"Does that mean I win the war?" 

Changbin didn't tell anyone about the kiss immediately, he doubted Jisung would either. 

Instead, he kept the memory to himself, replaying it over and over like a broken disc. The way Jisung's eyes closed ever so softly when Changbin got closer, the way he closed the gap of uncertainty, the way he chased after Changbin's lips for a second time and Changbin let him and he welcomed it because he loved the boy so much and the feeling of millions of butterflies flapping their wings over Changbin's lips was something he always wanted to remember. 

He felt happy because he got to do it, because Jisung trusted him enough to let him do it and because it was beautiful, and at the same time, it hurt. The uncertainty hurt, the way Changbin couldn't read Jisung hurt.

Feeling so much hurt. 

So on Monday, when Changbin picked Jisung up, they didn't talk about it. Jisung smiled at him and if it was different, Changbin didn't notice. Changbin smiled back and it was different, but Jisung didn't notice either. 

Changbin didn't speak to Jisung for the entirety of the day and Jisung didn't even look at Changbin, and that hurt, too. 

He wanted Jisung to hate him, to be disgusted, to cut him off.

But having him pretend it never happened hurt even more. 

Changbin knew he was fucked as soon as he saw Hyunjin intensely staring at him over lunch. And just as expected, when the bell of the last class rang, Hyunjin was in his classroom before he even had the chance to escape. 

"I'm afraid I'll have to steal your Uber for the day, Sungie," Hyunjin said, grabbing Changbin's arms to hold him in place. 

Jisung smiled, his eyes briefly looking at Changbin and then looking away. 

"That's okay," he said to then turn to Minho, who was still packing up his things. "Can I join your dance class today?" 

Minho rolled his eyes. "You can, but don't expect me to get you home after."

And with that, Hyunjin was dragging him away. They got to the cafeteria, which was pretty empty at that time. Hyunjin sat him down and then sat directly in front of him, making Changbin snort at the ridiculty of it all. 

"What's wrong?" 

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Please, Changbin, you haven't said a word all day. You looked spaced out at lunch and even now, you look sad," Hyunjin's face was contorted in pure worry, and Changbin felt bad for him, because Hyunjin had such a tender heart and ability to see what others hid. Changbin didn't want to hide it anymore. 

"I kissed Jisung," Changbin finally said, whispering, fearing anyone would hear. "And I think I'm in love with him."

Hyunjin's expression was almost comical. His mouth was open like the words didn't want to come out and his eyebrows were furrowed and his whole body was still. 

"Are you talking about… Jisung? Han Jisung?" 

"What other Jisung would I be talking about?" Changbin asked, desperate. 

"It's just… you two never gave a sign… You kissed him?" 

"Well, he kissed me?" 

"Wow," Hyunjin sat back on the chair, crossing his arms, mouth still agape. "So are you dating now?" 

"What? No."

"Why?" 

Changbin felt like he had been punched in the face. He looked at Hyunjin, incredulous. 

"He doesn't like me, we just kissed because I asked."

"But you're saying he kissed you first."

"I don't know why he did it, but I can assure you, he doesn't like me. He looked terrified at the prospect of me liking him."

Hyunjin rolled his eyes. "Binnie, Jisung is terrified of anyone liking him."

"That's what Chan said, too," Changbin sighed. 

"He's right. And guess what? You're terrified, too. You can't see why people would like you. You can't see that you're easy to fall for and that Jisung has every reason to."

Changbin looked up at Hyunjin, who was smiling at him softly. "And if it's of any worth… Jisung looked just as affected today."

Despite Hyunjin's words, despite of all the things Changbin thought about that day, he still couldn't believe it, he still couldn't find a reason to believe it. 

Him and Jisung avoided each other like the plague. Changbin still picked up Jisung from school, but every day, Jisung would leave with Minho. They didn't speak to each other and Changbin only dared to look at him when the boy was distracted. 

He couldn't deal with it. He couldn't possibly lose his best friend. 

Changbin wasn't expecting to hang out with Jisung that Friday. He expected Jisung to leave with Minho once again. But the world seemed to have other plans. 

More specifically, Minho and the sky seemed to have other plans. 

"I have a private lesson today, sorry," Minho told Jisung at the end of the day. 

"That's okay, I'll just walk home," Jisung answered. Changbin's heart broke a little, seeing that he went from being a second choice to not being a choice at all. 

Changbin couldn't decide if the world was against him or in his favor when, as they walked to the entrance of the school, the strongest rain in all of the summer broke. 

Minho, who was walking in between Changbin and Jisung, hurriedly said goodbye and ran into the storm to find a cab. 

Changbin and Jisung stood still, physically a meter apart from each other; emotionally, they were years apart. 

Changbin took a deep breath and looked at Jisung, speaking as casually as he could. "I'll take you home."

Jisung only nodded. 

Trying to avoid the awkward silence, Changbin turned on the radio as soon as they got in, some western R&B song played with the loud rain and thunder as a background. Changbin drove slowly, trying to be careful in the rain but mostly not wanting to say goodbye, because that was the first time Jisung had looked at him in all week. 

A sudden thought appeared in his mind, making him debate with himself over and over. In the end, the part of him that was hurt and in love won. He stopped the car in front of a little park close to Jisung's house, a park where they had played and fought in, a park that reminded Changbin of the much simpler times when they were friends and nothing hurt and Changbin wasn't lostly in love with his best friend. 

"What happened?" Jisung asked without looking at him. 

"I think we need to talk."

Jisung flinched but nodded, eyes following Changbin's own to look at the park and perhaps the same memories and feelings came to him, for he relaxed and finally looked at Changbin in the eyes. Changbin had missed his eyes: shiny, curious, big and scared and sweet. 

"I'm sorry, Jisung," Changbin said, Jisung looked confused. "Not only for avoiding you, I'm sorry because I asked you to kiss me. I'm sorry because you trusted me. I… Jisung, I like you. I'm sorry for liking you."

Jisung's expression went from confusion to pain to… something else. Something that looked like hope and desperation and words running through his mind. 

"You… like me?" Jisung finally asked, his voice was weak. Changbin nodded, looking away from him and then looked back again as he heard a little laugh. When he turned to look at Jisung, the boy was smiling and his eyes were shiny, like tears were threatening to fall. "I like you, too."

Changbin's whole world collapsed, all of the words of regret that sought forgiveness gone from his mind. Suddenly, everything was Jisung and Jisung's words and Jisung eyes and the way Jisung slowly made a motion to grab Changbin's hand. And Changbin let him, Changbin extended his hand back and they touched and it felt different and perfect. 

"You're kidding, right?" Changbin said, making Jisung laugh again. 

"You would think so, but I'm not sure if Minho would agree, considering my constant whining every day."

"Since when…?" 

"When we kissed. Everything turned upside down and suddenly, every moment of our lives felt like it was leading up to this." Jisung's smile was soft, so soft and genuine, Changbin couldn't help but mirror it. "But I was scared, we had already clarified you didn't like me, would it be hypocritical if I liked you? Would you be scared, too? Why was I so scared?" 

Changbin let out a laugh that sounded just a little weak. The knot in his throat only grew but he pushed it back to speak. 

"Of course I was scared. I thought I had lost you. But both Chan and Hyunjin made me realize that I didn't lose you, but I would if I kept on being scared."

"So when I asked you… did you actually like me?" 

Changbin laughed louder this time, maybe startling Jisung. "No. I realized when we talked that one night. You said you loved me and suddenly the world made sense for me."

"How are we so stupid?" Jisung asked, laughing, too. 

"You said it yourself, Ji. Every moment in our lives brought us to this, including being dumb."

"I'm glad it did," Jisung whispered, his eyes dropping down on Changbin's face and Changbin knew exactly what was happening in Jisung's head. 

Changbin leaned in and Jisung did the same. And this time there wasn't uncertainty, they didn't wait, they weren't insecure. Their lips touched like they were meant to from the moment the world was created and Jisung's hand rose up to Changbin's face and Changbin's whole body felt like it was on fire. 

"I'm sure my mom won't mind if you come over," Changbin whispered into Jisung's lips. 

"I know. She loves me."

"Shut up," Changbin giggled. Having Jisung back and having him like that was the greatest feeling in the world. 

Changbin drove to his house and took Jisung's hand to run into his room, locking the door and not saying a word. 

Jisung giggled as they threw themselves on the bed and Changbin hugged him tight. The boy looked up at him with his soft hair covering his eyes. 

"So what are we now?" 

"Whatever you want us to be," Changbin answered, moving the hair away from Jisung's forehead. 

"I… I think I downplayed my feelings when I said I liked you. I think I'm in love with you," Jisung admitted, making Changbin smile and lean into him. 

"Good thing I am in love with you, too," their lips touched again and again and they were both smiling.

Suddenly, Jisung stopped and smiled mischievously. 

"What do you think Chan will say?" 

Changbin scoffed. "He will probably scream and be annoying about it."

"Sounds good enough."

This time, they video called the older.

When Chan's face appeared on the screen, he seemed surprised to see them together. 

Changbin was about to speak when he felt a sudden pair of lips colliding with his. Then Jisung was laughing and Chan looked terrified for a second to then smile teasingly. 

_"I don't wanna say that I told you so…" _

Changbin rolled his eyes. "No, you do. Go ahead."

_"I told you so, both of you. I am the best and you two suck._"

"Not yet, we're taking it slow," Changbin choked with his own spit at Jisung's words. He turned to look at him and the boy seemed satisfied enough with his statement. 

_"Woah, Changbin, control him."_

"Do you think I have that kind of power?" Changbin asked, as terrified as Chan looked. 

After some more teasing and telling the whole story, Chan wished them luck and promised to call more often. 

The rest of their day, and part of their night, was spend in a blur of kissing, both of them learning together, finding out things about each other, touching and feeling things they never imagined possible. 

"Do you remember that time in second grade, I fell from a tree," Changbin mentioned, limbs entangled with Jisung's . "You were so useless, you were crying more than me and I had to calm you down with a lollipop."

"Nope, doesn't top the fact that you used to hate Chan in middle school because you thought I was replacing you."

"You did go get ice cream without me."

"You were sick!" 

"Did you really think that would stop me?"

They laughed, Jisung cuddling more into Changbin's chest. 

"I never thought we would end up like this."

"I know, but we did and I think that's what makes it so perfect."

"You're perfect," Jisung whispered, raising his head enough to leave a lazy kiss on Changbin's already red lips. "Or well, kind of…" 

"Shut up, Han Jisung," Changbin said but it lacked bite. The teasing felt so familiar, Jisung felt so familiar, yet it was all different. Now he was warm and they were as close as the could be and Changbin kissed Jisung before the boy could respond. 

It was perfect. 

**Bonus:**

Jisung cleared his throat to call for the attention of the rest of his friends. He looked at each of them in the eye. 

"I believe you guys had a bet about a certain couple concerning me and Lee Minho over here," he said, voice dramatic and eyes scanning everyone's faces. "So today, I can finally say that…" His gaze stopped at Seungmin. "Kim Seungmin, you won."

"I did?" Seungmin raised an eyebrow. 

"You did," Jisung held Changbin's hand from under the table to then slam their intertwined hands in front of everyone. A dramatic gasp was heard (probably Hyunjin) and a victorious laugh from Seungmin. 

"Wait, what?" Felix yelled. "That doesn't make any sense."

"I know they're gay, but I swore they were no homo for each other," Jeongin added to Felix's outburst. 

"Well, now it's all of the homo," Jisung smiled victorious as Changbin just stared at him in disbelief and yet so endearingly. 

"I'm happy for you, I really am," Hyunjin spoke. "But I refuse to lose to dog face over here, so can Minho and Jisung go in a dark room for a moment?" 

"Ew," Jisung yelled at the same time Minho said "Okay". 

"No one is going to a dark room with anyone, Hyunjin," Changbin sighed. 

"You bet the same thing as me!" 

"Oh yeah, that makes all of the difference. Minho, would you mind hooking up with my boyfriend?" Changbin said, voice perhaps a little dramatic. 

"Shut up," Jisung hit Changbin's arm and then laid his head on his shoulder, slightly kissing his jaw. 

A soft _yikes_ from Jeongin was heard but Jisung ignored it, instead feeling the absolute bliss of living. The love he felt for his friends, for his now boyfriend, for his life. 

He was happy. 

**Author's Note:**

> when i said idiots to lovers, i meant it.
> 
> i really hope you liked this! if you want to cry with me about binsung (or just skz in general) hit me up on twitter @moonlightsungie 
> 
> have a beautiful day/night/life ♡


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